Death Note: Final Passage
by Drysil's Chosen
Summary: In the chaotic aftermath of the demise of Kira, Near remains in Japan with the remaining members of the SPK. However, the last Death Note soon disappears from his base. Will he be able to track it down? At the same time, Misa starts a morbid quest.
1. 01  Near Death

"Shinigami."

The young white-haired boy had seemingly spoken it to the emptiness in the room, and the adults present looked around the room in response. The warehouse was empty, but for the six police officers and the boy himself. At least, those were the living occupants.

On the floor among them, a young brown-haired boy lay, dead. Light Yagami had multiple bullet wounds in his body, and the look on his face was peaceful, despite the situation leading up to his death. They had returned him to the wharf warehouse just recently, having found him a short distance away, dead on the stairs of another building.

However, someone else entered. Ryuk the Shinigami faded through the wall into the warehouse, in tight clothing and chain, his mouth wide in a perpetual grin.

"Yo."

Near looked up calmly into Ryuk's face, holding up the black notebook in his hand, which had white, unintelligible characters on the cover.

"Teru Mikami, the previous owner of this note, is dead. In that case, who does it now belong to?"

Ryuk chuckled. "If the owner died, it belongs to the person holding it. That's you."

"I see," said Near, opening the notebook and staring at it. "And with Light Yagami dead, the other note now belongs to Mr. Aizawa. Ryuk now possesses me, yet Aizawa's note has no Shinigami."

"Yeah."

Near curled his hair with one finger. "Mr. Aizawa. Please give me your notebook."

Aizawa looked up after a moment of sadness staring at Light's body. He then nodded and silently removed a second black notebook from a case concealed beneath his jacket, then handed it to Near.

"Shinigami," Near continued, "I have already asked this before, but I will again. The rules you wrote in the first notebook… Were they all true?"

Ryuk didn't speak or move for a long time. "No," he said finally. "They're all true."

This response drew a sigh from Aizawa, but Near made no reaction.

"Very well. I relinquish ownership of this notebook." He held Mikami's notebook toward Ryuk, who just laughed and took the notebook from him.

"See ya," said Ryuk, and a moment later, the Shinigami faded from sight. A moment later, the three cops standing behind Near blinked and looked around, confused.

The older man, known by the name Lester, gave Near a questioning look. "That notebook you're holding… Have I seen that before?"

Near looked up at them. "It seems the Shinigami erases the memories of those who've touched the Death Note after it is relinquished. I will explain everything to you later."

The three cops fell silent, though noticeably unsatisfied, but Aizawa finally spoke up. "Near, now that this is all over, what do we do?"

"It's not over, Mr. Aizawa," Near responded. When Aizawa raised an eyebrow, he continued, "Kira may be gone, but his legacy remains. You don't expect the world to go back to normal if Kira's death is announced. Although, public outcry is inevitable at this point, it would be best to try and keep it at a minimum."

"What do you want us to do?"

"For now, if Kira's death is kept secret, it will at least delay the inevitable riots. Light Yagami will be announced as the last victim of Kira, before it comes evident that Kira himself disappeared. It is easy to suspect foul play, of course, if Kira disappeared directly after taking out one of his supposed greatest enemies. What you should probably do now is make a public denouncement of Kira. This may soften the suspicion of Kira's silence following this."

"And what about you?" Matsuda spoke up finally, his voice shaky and laden with sadness. "Are you just going to leave us?"

"No. The SPK will remain in Japan to help with the aftermath for a few months."

"I don't see the point… Light has bullet wounds all over… It'll be obvious I killed him…"

"You're wrong. Light Yagami was killed by a Death Note."

There was a long, lingering silence, until finally, Aizawa spoke up in an angry growl. "What are you saying?! Are you saying there's still another Kira around?!"

"No. There are no other Kiras, and all the Death Notes involved were in this warehouse tonight. Light Yagami was shot multiple times, but the wounds were not serious enough for Light to have died in a short matter of minutes. At worst, he would have passed out and bled to death after perhaps an hour. And his body still has color in it, as well. We also must take into consideration that the Shinigami that had been present here left shortly after Yagami fled from the warehouse."

"I don't get it," said Matsuda weakly. "What does that have to do with anything…?"

"No," said Aizawa firmly. "Ryuk had a notebook of his own. It might have stepped out to write Light's name down."

"Correct. Though we'll never know the reason, it was probably the Shinigami that killed Light Yagami. The existence of another Kira is highly unlikely, but to be safe, criminals should be watched in case judgment resumes."

"And another thing… There's still one Death Note left, Near. Are you going to destroy it?"

"No. Among the rules listed in the Death Note, there was the rule: 'If the note is made unusable by tearing up or burning, all humans who have touched the Note will die.' Mello told us there was a fake rule in the Note, and since Light Yagami was Kira, it is surely the rule: 'If the owner of the Note does not continuously write down names within 13 days of each other, the owner will die.' The authenticity of the rule before was never tested, and it would be unwise to test it with this note when so many have touched it. For now it will be kept secure with the SPK."

Aizawa looked down at his feet, a heavy frown on his face.

"For now, Light Yagami's body will be given a proper, respectful burial. No one outside this group knows of Light's role as both L and Kira. It should be kept that way to avoid mass panic."

Later, as Near returned by car to his Japanese base with his three companions, Lester—sitting across from him in the back of a limo—brought up another point.

"Near… Are you sure it's alright just pretending like Kira just disappeared? And what about L? The public doesn't even know about the first L's death, how do we even handle the second's?"

"It won't be alright, Commander Lester. However, it is the lesser of two evils, like I said. It is better to pretend he disappeared rather than shock the public by announcing his death. And as for L… Another reason I wish to remain in Japan is to assume L's role for now. However, I am different than L and wish to be known that way, so when I return to America, I will resume my identity as N."

Lester still looked unsure, but nodded. "Well, I trust you, Near. You were enough to take down Kira, even when L couldn't. Let's just hope nothing like this ever happens again."

…

Misa Amane awoke, but kept her eyes clenched; bright lights were flooding her vision. She was too disoriented to tell right away where she was, but she thought she heard some machines beeping in the room. She also felt a dull pain in her body, but it was very fuzzy, as if it was part of a dream she had been having.

Was she having a dream? She remembered something now… Matsuda… Matsuda came back from the wharf. That wasn't a dream, that was real. Matsuda came back from the meeting with N, and told her something… She couldn't think of what it was… Her whole body hurt. She wished Light was there to comfort her. He always made her feel better.

Light. Light was… Light was dead. Matsuda told her Light was dead. Killed by Kira.

Her eyes opened wide, despite the pain of the lights flooding the room. She was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, but she was in a comfortable bed. It didn't feel like her bed, either. Her whole body was still feeling fuzzy and sluggish, but she finally became aware of just where she was.

It was a hospital room. She was in a bed, with quite a few machines around her. An IV in her arm was steadily dripping morphine into her body, dulling the pain of… Wait… what was it dulling the pain of? What had happened to her? And Light… If Light were here…

Tears began running down Misa's face, blurring her vision. Light was the only thing in the world to her… They were living together, they were surely going to get married after Kira was caught… Instead, Kira took away the only thing that truly mattered to Misa. Her life before Light had been nothing compared to her life after meeting him.

She couldn't live without Light! After five years of being with him, everything was empty now… Her heart had become black… There was no point in living anymore…

She remembered. Matsuda told her Light was dead. She screamed, she cried, she yelled at him to stop lying. She might have even punched him. Then her heart sunk, sunk away into darkness. She took the train to somewhere, and went up to a high place. She remembers seeing the setting sun. Then air, lots of rushing air. She had jumped. Jumped to her death.

But she was still alive. As she began to wake up more, she began to feel the pain in her body concentrated in her arms and legs. Most likely, they were all broken. She didn't think it possible to survive a fall like that, but she survived. How did she do it? Only a god of death could conquer a fall like that. She knew she wasn't a Shinigami… but maybe one was looking over her from heaven. A Shinigami, or an angel… or maybe a devil, to make her stay on this world to suffer.

She would probably get better soon. Her arms and legs didn't look too mangled, so they might heal in a month or two. After that… what would she do? The first thing that came to mind was committing suicide… Attempting it again. How could she live without Light? Or…

Kill Kira. Kira was the one who took Light away from her. Kira was the one who did this to her life. She could do that… Kira took away her Light, it's not like she had anything to lose! Perhaps Light would be able to live happy on the other side when he saw his killer get punished.

One or the other.


	2. 02 Interest

Ryuk sat in a cold, dark cave in the Shinigami realm, staring down at an open page of his Death Note

Ryuk sat in a cold, dark cave in the Shinigami realm, staring down at an open page of his Death Note. In the middle of one page, was a single, large name scribbled down.

Light Yagami.

"You were anything but God," said Ryuk aloud. "You were just…"

Then he finally looked up to survey the cave. It was empty. Ryuk had been addressing someone before, telling them about Light Yagami and the story of Kira.

"Gone already?" Ryuk said. Then he chuckled and turned to the cloudy sky to his right. "You should go and check it out… Someone might pick up your Note if you're lucky. And you get to see something you won't forget for the rest of your life. I'm right, aren't I… Light?"

Death Note. The only remaining Death Note in the human world, owned by a boy named Nate River, yet forsaken in a heavily locked metal box in the wall of the back room of an building no one knew about. This was the fate given to it by its owner; to be locked away forever from human knowledge, perhaps eventually forgotten when its owner died.

However, it was not a Death Note's fate to remain unused in the human world. You see, every time a Death Note falls into the human world, it must be used. Usually, the Shinigami who dropped it makes sure it is used. This time, however, the Shinigami has died.

But the Death Note will not remain unused. Because, this simply cannot be.

Through the wall, a Shinigami appeared. Though he was hardly more than a skeleton, this was belied by the oddly modern clothes he wore: a button-down shirt and black jacket, though both were horridly ragged. He also had brown hair that spiked backward, and wore on his head a red bandana and faceted goggles. Only his skull face and hands, and lack of eyes showed him for what he truly was—that, and the large axe-like weapon made of bone strapped to his back.

His empty sockets roamed the room for a moment, and he finally turned his face toward the heavy steel safe door in the wall. He grunted to himself, then strode calmly over to the door and phased his hand through the lock. A simply twist of his fingers dismantled the lock from the inside, and as he withdrew his hand, he pulled the door open.

There lay the simple black notebook.

The Shinigami stared at it for a moment. "Rem's Death Note. What a strange place for it to wind up after all it's been through."

He reached out and slid the Death Note out of its hiding place, holding it softly in his bony fingers. As he did, the shrill pitch of an alarm emanated from the safe, and he turned to it questioningly. However, he only chuckled and stared at the Death Note again.

"Don't disappoint me." He then tucked the Death Note into a pocket in his jacket and stepped quietly from the room.

It was raining again today. Junichi Komori ran after his two friends into the woods by his house, but they were far ahead of him.

"Come on, Junichi!" shouted Takashi, the boy in front, holding the hoodie that had until a few moments ago belonged to Junichi. "You're never going to get your coat back if you keep being so slow!"

Taro, running behind Takashi, just laughed and kept running. But suddenly, Takahashi's foot caught in a tree root, and he went tumbling, and the hoodie floated from his grasp. Taro quickly leapt over him and grabbed the hoodie, but the short delay resulted in his being tackled by Junichi.

"It's mine!" cried Junichi, even though they were just joking around. "You'll never take it from me, I got it for Christmas!"

"Well, it's mine now, loser!" laughed Taro. But Junichi finally got the jacket from his grasp and ran for it.

"It's mine aga—" Junichi was interrupted by something hitting him in the face, and it startled him so much, he tripped over his own feet and went tumbling back to the ground.

"Easy there, leadfeet," laughed Takashi, and as Junichi rolled over, he exposed a black notebook pressed underneath his body. "What's this?"

Takashi grabbed the notebook off the ground and looked at the cover. All he saw were mysterious white characters that he didn't understand; they were unlike any writing he'd ever seen. When he flipped open, he found all the pages blank, but there was some writing on the inside cover that was scribbled in in Japanese.

"The human whose name is written in this notebook shall die."

Taro laughed and took the notebook from him, reading the sentence. "What's this? Some kind of joke? Yeah right, if you write someone's name in this, they'll just automatically die?"

Taro and Takashi laughed, but Junichi wasn't so light-hearted. "Does it really say that? It sounds like some kind of Kira thing…"

"Yeah right," said Taro. "It's just a prank. There's no such thing as a killer notebook. Watch…" He slipped a pen out of his notebook and started scribbling on the first page. "Takashi… you are a criminal that must be eliminated for the sake of the world! Hahaha!"

He finished writing and snapped the notebook shut, then threw it at Takashi, who was obviously still standing. In turn Takashi, seized Taro's pen and stepped away, also scribbling in the first page.

"No, I'm the real Kira, you're just an imposter who must be eliminated!" Takashi laughed, and threw the notebook at Junichi, who awkwardly caught it. "See? We're both still alive, it's a prank! If it were real, then we'd both—"

Takashi abruptly stopped talking, and his hands suddenly flew to his chest, where he clutched at his heart, and fell to his knees. Taro just laughed, watching the act progress, until finally Takashi collapsed, face-first onto the ground.

"Oh no! Another death at the hands of Kira!" Taro laughed. However, when Takashi didn't laugh with him, he quieted down a bit. A short minute of silence passed, and not a sound was heard from the boy lying on the ground.

"Takashi?"

Then Taro suddenly let out a short scream, clutching his own chest. He made a horrible gurgling sound, before keeling over to his side and lying still, his eyes facing slightly in different directions.

"Taro? Takashi?" Junichi set the notebook down and nudged Takashi, who still hadn't moved after two minutes. "This isn't funny, get up!"

But when he rolled Takashi over with his foot, he gasped, for Takashi's face was contorted into an expression of horrible pain. Nervously, Junichi bent over and placed his fingers on Takashi's neck, feeling for a pulse.

When Junichi felt silence under his skin, he thought he might faint. He slowly stood back up, and everything began to go into a haze.

"Dead? No… No way… It's not possible!" He clutched at his head and screamed, but there was no one around to hear him.

_It's not a joke… There was no pulse… Did I do something?! Why are they—?!_

As he backed away, his foot brushed the black notebook that he had dropped. His eyes flew to it, and instantly the words came into his mind… "Shall die…"

The notebook did something? "Those person… shall die." Was it really the notebook? "The human whose name is written in this notebook shall die."

"It's not true!!" he screamed. "That's impossible!!"

Before he knew it, he grabbed up the notebook and with all his might, tried to rip it in half. But, try as he might, the notebook wouldn't even slightly tear. He might as well be trying to tear steel.

Tears running down his face, he dropped the notebook again and violently shook Takashi's body.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" he screamed, and even once punched him in the face, expecting him to react to the pain, breaking his act of death. But, Takashi's head just flopped loosely to the side.

Junichi backed away, falling silent for a minute as it all began to close in on him. This notebook… They're dead… They're never coming back… For a few moments, his mind was racing, lost in a haze.

Then, he grabbed the notebook again and ran for it. He was crying again, but this time his face was locked in a fierce determination.

_Burn it… I have to burn it… This thing is cursed, and evil! Nobody should see this thing!_

He jumped over logs and bushes, and tripped many times as he scrambled back toward the edge of the forest. He finally stopped as the trees parted to give way to the street that ran to his house. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, then started forward again.

A figured dropped from the sky and landed directly in front of him. The first thing he saw was the empty eye sockets, the skull-like face of the huge figure before him. He immediately screamed and stepped backwards, tripping over his own feet and hitting the ground.

"What were you thinking of doing to that?" asked the Shinigami coldly. "Destroying it?"

Junichi just looked up in pure fear, his breath coming shaky and fast. He couldn't even move.

"You can't do that, I'm afraid," said the Shinigami. "I came here to have some fun, and you're not going to ruin it. That Death Note is your responsibility now."

Junichi managed to scoot backwards a little, and sit up. "What… What are you…?"

The Shinigami smiled at the boy's obvious confusion. "I'm a Shinigami. And I'll teach you all about that notebook you're holding."


	3. 03 Confusion

"This is L

"This is L. Please come to headquarters right away." When the phone call from Near came in, he refused to give any specific information about the summons. This was Near wouldn't talk about except in person.

So, Halle Lidner got back in her car and drove toward headquarters. She had been out in the city monitoring the activities of what had become known as the "Kira Disciples." Ever since Kira had disappeared, things had been generally in disarray, ranging from demonstrations by upset Kira followers to serial murderers impersonating Kira.

The Kira Disciples, according to Near, were an inevitability. Naturally, the followers of Kira that had been scattered throughout the Kanto region were beginning to come together under a similar name. Recently, they had been staging protests against the National Police Agency, which had again begun to publicly denounce Kira's actions. Though most of the protests had been non-violent, the frequency of the demonstrations had become unnerving.

Headquarters now was a floor that had been bought out in a building down the street from the NPA, where Near continued to act as L while reparations were being done. Halle and her two partners—Stephen Gevanni and Anthony Rester—were the only surviving members of the former SPK, and thus the only ones to know that the current L was actually Near, and that the L who had been pursuing Light from the beginning was already dead.

Halle pulled into the parking garage nearby and walked into the building and up to their floor. A quick retinal scan allowed her inside, where Near, Gevanni, and Lester were already waiting.

"Welcome back," said Near, looking surprisingly unpleased. "You came quickly, as expected."

Halle narrowed her eyes a bit and looked at her other two colleagues, who only stared at her gravely.

"The Death Note has been stolen."

Halle snapped her attention back to Near in astonishment. "Stolen?! That can't be possible!"

"And what's more, it was somehow stolen from the inside, without breaking any of the locks, except that on the safe door, which seemed to have fallen apart from the inside."

Halle didn't even have any words to say to that. The protection on the Death Note was incredible; to steal it was not only an amazing feat in and of itself, but to do it without breaking all but one protection was nothing short of preposterous.

Then it hit her. The final lock on the Death Note was the only lock that only Near had access to; the others could be opened by the other members of the team. Could Near have come to the conclusion that one of them was a traitor?

"As you've inevitably come to realize," said Near as she stood thinking, "the final lock is the only lock that you three have come to access."

Halle braced herself for the accusation.

"However, I am certain that none of you three are to blame. Thus, we must concentrate our efforts onto finding the culprit."

Halle looked slightly shocked, and Gevanni furrowed his brow.

"Near, with all due respect, wouldn't it be more logical to suspect one of us? It isn't something I like to admit, but we are the most likely to have stolen the Death Note."

"Not so," said Near calmly, shifting his gaze to the side and twirling his hair. "You, Gevanni accompanied me in this room for the entire day on which the Note was stolen, and Lester and Ridner were both out conducting investigations. Both of their cars are installed with tracers and cameras. Furthermore, the door to the Note's room is watched by camera, and no intrusion has been recorded."

"Then…" started Lester, "who could have possibly intruded that far?"

Near looked up. "Shinigami have now been proven to exist. Since they can pass freely through solid walls, a Shinigami is in fact the most likely to have been the culprit, especially with an obvious connection to the Death Note, a Shinigami's tool."

"How do we find a Shinigami?" said Ridner. "They are invisible."

"If the Shinigami returned to its own world, it would be in our favor. If, however, it was delivered to a human, then we will be searching for someone who owns a Death Note."

Gevanni frowned. "Another Kira?"

"So, if what you say is true…" said Junichi slowly, "this is what Kira used to kill all of those criminals?"

The Shinigami, sitting on his bed, nodded at him slowly. Junichi gulped and looked down at the notebook. The Shinigami, Kymander, had followed him home, and it had been some time before he had calmed down enough to be able to hold a conversation with it.

The Death Note was a tool of the Shinigami, used to end human's lives and add their remaining lifespan to the Shinigami. If it was dropped into the human world, it became property of the first human to touch it, who could then use it to end human lives as well, though no extra life was gained from it.

Over the past hour, Kymander eagerly explained the many rules of the notebook, many of which Junichi had now forgotten, but he now had the general knowledge of the notebook. Now, as he looked down on it, Kymander looked at him expectantly.

"What do you want from me, exactly?" said Junichi softly.

Kymander looked up. "That should be obvious. I want you to use it!"

"Use it?! You mean, to kill people?"

"Of course, what else would it be used for?"

Junichi paused for a moment. "Are you crazy? I'm not going to kill people!"

The Shinigami looked slightly surprised. "Huh?"

"Why would I want to kill people? What makes you think I would use the Death Note like Kira did?"

Junichi reached to his desk and picked up the remote and flicked on the TV, and changed it to the local news. "Bro should be on right now…"

When the channel changed, it showed a tall man with finely combed long brown hair in a suit speaking at a podium. The name on the bottom of the screen was "Takahiro Komori."

"What these people are doing is immoral and rash," Takahiro was saying. "As the police have already begun making statements against Kira, they should also work to suppress this cult that has been growing. To do any less is a misuse of authority, and—!"

Junichi flicked off the TV again. "That's my brother."

Kymander paused again, staring at the blank TV. "I see… An activist against Kira, huh? Is your whole family like that?"

"Yes. Me, my brother, and my mom and dad are all anti-Kira. Bro is the spokesperson for all of us, trying to get the NPA to actively suppress the Kira Disciples. Maybe you shouldn't have given the Death Note to me after all…"

Kymander stood up slowly. The Shinigami was unreadable—having no face—so Junichi's heart started to race as he walked slowly closer to the seated boy.

"It's yours now, boy," he said gleefully. "I can't take it from you. But I CAN kill you with my own Death Note." He reached into a pocket on his jacket and pulled out a second black notebook. "How about this? If you don't kill people with your own notebook, I will kill you and find someone else who will take the Note."

Junichi felt a little faint. "K-Kill me? Why? Why do you want it used so badly?"

"Because I want to see it happen! I want to see another Kira come into the world!"

"Why would you possibly want that?"

Kymander cackled. "It would be fun to watch!"

Junichi's mouth dropped slightly open, even while he watched in fear. "You're a monster…"

Kymander only cackled louder. "You think? I thought my skull face and power to kill people already made me one. So what's it going to be? Make sure you understand: I am impatient. I'm not going to wait forever; I will kill you and give the Note to another if you don't do what I want."

A tear ran from the frightened Junichi's eye. "But what'll happen if I use it? Will I go to Hell?"

"Eh? What's this now?"

"If I use the Death Note, what'll happen when I die?"

Junichi cackled softly, remembering a similar question that had been asked to a different Shinigami. About what Light had asked Ryuk on their first meeting.

"Any human that uses the Death Note can go to neither Heaven nor Hell," he said gleefully.

Junichi leaned backward. "Then where? Where do they go?"

Kymander chuckled, and then began to laugh aloud, his face towards the ceiling. Junichi scooted his chair backwards even farther from the Shinigami. As Kymander finally stopped laughing, he returned his gaze to Junichi.

"Wouldn't you like to know? I suppose you'll find out after you die!"


	4. 04 Devastation

"W-What is this

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I haven't been in much of a writing mood lately, so I apologize if this chapter is sub-par. But it's my last chance to get another chapter in before I have to work on some big papers for school.

"W-What is this?" remarked Lester as the car turned the corner. In front of the NPA building, a gathering of a bout a hundred people crowded the street. They were holding various painted signs and were pumping their arms in the air. Before the doors, about five police officers had erected barriers and were trying to get the people to calm down, much to futility.

"Another protest," said Lidner, sitting in the passenger seat. The smug look on her face said enough.

"Another? You don't mean… the Kira Disciples? These bastards…"

"Calm down," said Lidner, heaving a sigh. "We'll just get in and get out no problem. This isn't our quarrel."

Lester parked the car a good half a block away from from the NPA building, so as not to be caught in the throng, and the two got out to begin walking toward the building. When they got within a good distance of the front doors, the crowd finally recognized them.

All at once, about ten disciples rushed up to them to brandish their signs and yell unintelligible things. They still stayed out of their faces, enough for them to keep walking, but Lester looked upset enough that it seemed he would strike out at them. Lidner's face remained calm, though cold. Any time she made eye contact with one of the Kira's Disciples, that one hastily backed away.

Except for perhaps one. A man in a green hoodie met her gaze squarely as she passed by. He had somewhat disheveled black hair, and a cigarette in his mouth, and he was one of the few who wasn't shouting enthusiastically. He simply gazed back at Lidner, the same amount of coldness in his eyes. Her eyes lingered on him for sometime before finally strolling past the police guards—flashing their badges—and entering the building.

As the two took the elevator up, Lidner's face finally grew into a disgusted frown. "How repulsive… For people to support such an evil man as that. Yotoko is turning in her grave…"

Lester gazed at the ceiling. "You know it wasn't Yagami responsible for that. It was Higuchi who—"

"I know that," Halle responded, trying to keep the sharpness out of her voice. "But it was still the Death Note. It was still Kira. That's why we have to find it, before another tragedy like that happens again."

There was a long pause. "But do you really think the Police Chief knows anything about it?"

Lidner didn't respond.

…

"Bro?" Junichi started slowly, holding his backpack over one shoulder.

Takahiro looked up from his newspaper as he was sitting at the dining room table. "What is it, Jun? You look kind of… pale."

Junichi smiled weakly and shifted a little. "Could you take me downtown? I'm supposed to meet a friend somewhere, but I need a ride."

"Sure," said his brother, glancing down at his wrist watch. "I still have an hour before I have to be at my meeting. Where's he meeting you?"

"The police station."

Takahiro paused and looked oddly at his brother.

"I-I know," said Junichi, chuckling weakly. "He's got a weird sense of humor. But we gotta go before we're late."

Kymander loomed behind Junichi, looking down at the back of his head. When they had gotten in the car, Kymander slipped through the back door and sat in the seat behind him, unbeknownst to Takahiro.

"Junichi… what are you doing?"

Junichi ignored the Shinigami and squirmed uneasily in his seat.

"So who is it you're meeting? Taro? I remember that kid was strange…"

Junichi winced. It had been a while, but he hadn't told any of his family members what had happened that day in the woods. Of course, the two kids' bodies were found and reported in the news as accidents, but his brother was the only one who read the newspaper enough to have seen the story. And even then, he must have missed it.

"No," said Junichi, "it's this new kid at school. You've never met him before."

Kymander reached forward and clamped a hand down on Junichi's shoulder, who winced. "Hey… I want to know what you're planning. Remember… I'll kill you if you don't do as I say."

Junichi trembled a little, but remained silent. It was almost over… A short trip to the NPA and all this Death Note business was over and done with. Just a short way. It didn't matter if he died afterward… only that he at least made it to the station.

…

Lidner and Lester remained silent on their way back down the elevator, both with dejected looks on their faces.

"We should have expected it to be a dead end," said Lidner.

As the doors opened, the first thing they heard was a loud slamming noise. They could still hear the shouting outside, but it was much more violent. When they stepped outside into the main lobby, they saw it; the crowd of Kira supporters had rushed up to the doors and were slamming a metal sign against the class, attempting to shatter it. Five police officers were inside holding the doors shut, but in short time, there was the sound of shattering glass.

One door shattered and an onslaught of Kira Disciples rushed into the lobby, and the police officers were shoved aside. Immediately, Lidner and Lester went for their guns and pointed them at the crowd.

"Stay put!" Lidner shouted powerfully, but the crazed men rushed onward, and Lidner hesitated, her finger partially holding down the trigger.

By then it was too late. A wooden bat cracked down on top of her knuckles just as a fist hit her in the stomach and temple. She dropped her gun, and a volley of attacks came at her fast, and she had to fall back.

She thought she heard another crowd of footsteps coming from behind her; perhaps all the officers currently in the building were coming. But after reeling back against the wall, she heard a gunshot across the room, and then another. A fist came at her face from amongst the throng, and then there was darkness.

…

"W-What the hell is this?" Takahiro exclaimed as he slammed on the brakes as he turned the corner. They had arrived at the NPA, but all was chaos.

A large mob was in front of the building, and it looked like they were all shoving to get inside. The glass doors were broken down, and several police officers were laying on the sidewalk unconscious.

"I'm getting out of here!" exclaimed Takahiro, as they had turned into the very fringes of the mob, but the car had already been spotted. Like a plague of locusts, about two dozen men surrounded the car and began shaking it back and forth. Junichi screamed and hid his face in his hands, but Kymander only laughed gleefully at the entertaining sight.

"Damn it!" Junichi heard his brother yell. "I can't run them over, but what do I do?!"

Then all of a sudden, the shaking stopped. "Komori! It's Komori!"

The next few moments were a blur for Junichi. He heard the car doors get wrenched open before Takahiro had a chance to lock them. Six hands grabbed him at once and wrenched him out of the car so hard, it dislocated his arm. He screamed as he hit the pavement, but he couldn't even hear himself over the mob.

They had begun chanting. "Komori! Komori! Komori! Komori!" The words rung in his ears and resonated with the intense pain in his shoulder. Now he was being drug around the car, face first, the skin tearing on his knees. As he was being drug he received several violent kicks in the stomach.

The hands let go of him, and his head collided hard with the pavement, causing him to pass out for a short moment. When he managed to lift his head up, he found he was in a small circle in the mob. Next to him was his brother, whose suit had been torn, and he was bleeding from several places on his body. Even as he looked up, individuals took turns stepping forward to punch him or kick him.

"Komori! Komori! Komori! Komori!"

The crowd then erupted in cheers, and before them, they split to make a path for someone who was approaching through the mob. He had a green hooded jacket and messy black hair, and he was grinning with a lit cigarette in his mouth. And a pistol in his left hand.

He stepped into the circle and delivered a fierce kick right to Takahiro's stomach, who moaned in pain and spat up blood.

"Kira does not forgive those who stand against him."

Though the man said the words quietly, they rung in Junichi's ears as the man raised the gun to his brother's temple. The gunshot rang off the surrounding buildings. The image he saw before him speared through his eyes and into his brain. Everything became silence to him.

The man in the green jacket took a long drag from his cigarette and flicked it onto the body before him, then cocked the gun again. Junichi distantly felt the empty shell bounce off of his forehead. Almost as if marking where the next shot would land.

The man smiled down at him, but that smile quickly disappeared when another gunshot rang out, shaking Junichi's body to the core. A man behind Junichi fell over.

"Shit!" he saw the man's mouth form the words, but didn't hear him. "Scatter!"

Chaos again broke loose, and Junichi's eyes again settled on what was once his brother. He was slumped over on his side, facing away from him, his posture looking like he had just fallen asleep. The last thought occurring to Junichi was…

_Maybe he is just asleep…_

As a panicked man tried to jump over Junichi, he accidently kicked him in the back of the head. Junichi's head whiplashed forward onto the pavement, and also fell into deep black.


	5. 05 Recuperation

Misa Amane sat down in her room, unfolding a newspaper on her desk

Misa Amane sat down in her room, unfolding a newspaper on her desk. The room was much bleaker now; before it had been full of bright colors and posters of many idols she looked up to. Now, noticeably black shades had crept into the room.

Since getting out of the hospital, she picked up every newspaper in the city almost every day to scour it for any signs of Kira. She had found out shortly after being released from the hospital that Kira seemed to have stopped operating altogether. Criminals all over the world had stopped dying.

However, a group called the Kira Disciples maintained that he was still alive, biding his time to begin his work anew. So, Misa absorbed every piece of information she could find, trying to find hints of any new judgments.

To think she had once worshipped Kira. Kira, who had judged the man who had killed her parents. Kira, who was cleaning up the world and making it a beautiful place to live. Then Light Yagami, her love, had teamed up with the world's greatest detective, L, to catch Kira. And when L died, then Light became L! He still admired Kira, but was willing to help Light catch him, because there was no one else she loved more than him.

Then, the world crashed down on her. Kira judged Light, the man seeking to catch him. Misa had to find Kira, had to bring him to _her_ justice, for taking away the love of her life.

But weeks of scouring the papers yielded nothing. She exclusively looked at murder and death stories, but more often than not, they were only copycat murders.

Then, she found it. She stopped on page 2 of the newspaper, and found a curious story. Two boys had been found dead of unknown causes in the back woods of a local neighborhood. They showed now sign of visible injury, and there was no sign of a struggle. No witnesses had come forward.

It wasn't much, considering that these weren't criminals, but just two high school boys, but the profile of death fit Kira's murders very closely. Even the copycat murders had inevitably left traces of the cause of death—usually poison or suffocation.

The best copycat used air embolism as the form of murder. That is, he injected a large amount of air into his victim's vein using a syringe, and the air blocked blood flow to the heart and caused an acute heart attack. However, given that blood blockages occurred in other parts of the body and the victim also suffered a stroke, the true cause of death was soon uncovered.

Misa wrote down which neighborhood the boys lived in. If Kira was involved, perhaps he was in the area. Perhaps she could tell by taking a closer look.

…

"Thank you for accompanying me, Gevanni," said Near quietly as he sulked down the hospital corridor, holding a toy robot tightly in one hand. Next to him, Gevanni was trying hard not to look suspicious in his heavy black overcoat.

They meandered down the busy hospital wing, dodging the patients and doctors. Since the riot outside the NPA, victims had been steadily trailing in, and more than a few of the Kira Disciples shot by police had already died.

Gevanni and Near came to a stop next to a door. There were four patients in this room, and the first too listed were: Halle Lidner and Junichi Komori.

"Komori…" Gevanni remarked. "That's the name of the speaker who got shot in the riot, right? Who's Junichi then?"

"His brother," said Near automatically. "It seems he was with Komori during the riot and was seriously injured."

When they entered, Lidner was already awake, a bandage around her head and arm, and she had a book in her lap. Junichi, opposite her bed was unconscious, covered in even more bandages. His bookbag was deposited next to the bed.

"Near!" cried Lidner when she saw them enter, looking like she was about to leap from the bed. "Why are you here?! You should be…" She fell quiet quickly when one of the other patients in the room narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance.

"After all that's happened today," said Near, taking a seat in a chair next to the bed, "even I can't just stay inside." Gevanni remained standing, with a somewhat serious face. One of the patients looked at him warily, and then pretended to go to sleep.

"And Lester… I heard he was shot. Is he…?"

Gevanni lowered his head a little and shook his head gravely. When Lidner had dropped the gun, an unidentified man had seized it and used it to shoot Lester—once in the gut, and again in the chest. That same gun was later used to put Takahiro Komori to death outside the NPA station.

Just afterward, an armed police unit open fired on the group, resulting in many injuries, and two deaths, and the group dispersed. The man with the gun was unidentified and was not found. Komori was pronounced dead on the spot, but Lester was rushed to the emergency room, where he was pronounced dead twenty minutes later.

Lidner had an incredibly pained look on her face as she stared down at her legs. Lester had been a powerful ally and an incredibly reliable friend. And with that, the former SPK had been reduced to the three people right there.

"What can we do now?" asked Lidner quietly.

"It appears the investigation will come to a standstill until you can recover," said Near. "Gevanni and I will stay at headquarters and gather information while we wait for you."

"I'm sorry," said Lidner, but then looked up and smiled. "I'll recover quickly as I can."

"Thank you," said Near, offering a smile back to her. "We should be heading back now."

Gevanni patted Lidner on the shoulder before he and Near left. Lidner's smile faded after Near's back retreated out of the room, and she frowned down at her book. The investigation put at a standstill… because of the damn Kira Disciples. She wished her injuries would heal quickly. Gevanni and Near were the solitary members of the investigation who worked from the inside, and she and Lester had been the ones who worked on the outside.

They needed her. No, Japan needed her, to find the Death Note and end this nonsense once and for all.

Junichi watched through a half-opened eye as the white-haired boy leave the room with what he assumed was his father. His mother—though they really didn't look alike—resumed reading her book.

For a long time, he wondered why he was in this unfamiliar room. The bed was extremely uncomfortable and pain wracked his body. He opened his other eye and focused on his own body. There was a cast around his arm, and he felt gauze around various other parts of his body. It was as if he'd been beaten…

Tears unexpectedly started flowing down his face, and it took a few seconds for the reason to hit him. When the memory flashed into his head, he could not stop the despair from consuming him. His brother… his dear brother…

His whole body shook with sorrow and pain, and the gauze around his neck soon became soaked from tears. He didn't even have a chance to say goodbye… The chaos had completely overwhelmed them and destroyed them…

How could he go on now? After this, their family would definitely be torn apart. Takahiro was going to be the head of the family, and he was kind and gentle… He was the backbone of the family, and without him, how could they go on?

He was sure they would gain a lot of sympathy from the incident, but that couldn't help. Now his parents would be relying on him. And what did he have? He was a coward, and pathetic… He could never live up to the image of his brother. It was so easy for him to be intimidated, and even more so by Kymander…

_The Death Note!_

Junichi suddenly became panicked. The last he remembered was putting the Death Note in his bookbag to turn in to the police. Then he was dragged from the car… What happened then? What happened to the Note?!

If one of the Kira Disciples grabbed it from the car, then a whole new wave of mass murder would begin again, just like Kira. If it was left in there, any regular person would just pick it up and use it. He could only hope the police got a hold of it and destroyed it after they read its contents…

His eyes raced around the room, and he breathed a sigh of relief when they settled on the bookbag on the floor. If the Death Note was still untouched inside, he would be able to handle it after he got out of the hospital.

"Junichi…"

His body froze, and he looked up to see Kymander's head above his, coming out of the wall above his bed.

"You were planning on turning in the Note, weren't you?"

Junichi's pupils dilated, and his heart raced. Kymander had already threatened him several times if he were to not use the Death Note, and now he had been caught trying to turn it in to the authorities. Was he going to die?

Kymander cackled at his frightened face. "That's a nice look you've got on, kid. I did promise I'd kill you if you didn't use the Death Note. So, what am I supposed to do if you try to turn it in?"

Kymander slid out of the wall and floated over to stand at the foot of Junichi's bed, and Junichi tried to cringe away, which only resulted in an explosion of pain through his body. He groaned and grimaced, causing the woman across from him to look up, but she then returned to her book.

"I'll let you off the hook, this time," said the Shinigami, noticeably surprising, yet relieving Junichi. "It's only because it would be so tasteless killing a boy who's already hospitalized. And besides… I think I can still yet convince you to use that Note."


	6. 06 Crash

"Near

"Near."

Near slowly looked up to see Lidner standing in the doorway, her arm in a sling. Near smiled softly, as did Gevanni from behind his monitors. It had only been a week since the riot outside the NPA, and Lidner had been released from the hospital.

"You're just on time," said Near, holding up a newspaper clipping. "We just found this, and I think it's our only remaining lead for this case."

Lidner walked over and took the clipping, reading it over quickly. Then she frowned. "You really think this can be considered a good lead?"

"I've read it over a couple times," said Near. "Even though they weren't criminals, there's more to this case than meets the eye. Are you ready to investigate?"

Lidner straightened herself and put on a determined look. "Of course."

"Thank you, Lidner. We're relying on you."

…

As the sun set behind Junichi, he saw Kymander's figure cast a shadow over him. He shivered unconsciously, even though Kymander had hardly spoken a word since Junichi had been released from the hospital. Even so, the Shinigami always wore a grin, as if he were waiting for something good.

Junichi had never felt so tense. His brother was shot to death right in front of him, he was brutally beaten, and his attempt to dispose of the Death Note had been both foiled and revealed to Kymander.

He was going to return to school the next day, something he wasn't looking forward to, as he was going to get a lot of unwanted attention from his classmates. The man who killed Takahiro had not been caught, not helped by the fact that the police were in complete disarray after the riot.

If only he knew who the man was… The image of the man was burned into his mind, and he swore to himself to make him pay if he ever saw him. Because of this man, his life had been destroyed.

As he reached an intersection in his neighborhood and waited, he didn't dare to look at the Shinigami hovering behind him. He already knew Kymander was smiling.

On the corner to his left, a man in a leather jacket waited to cross the street toward Junichi. The walk signal sounded as the lights changed, and he started across the street. As he walked, he slid a cigarette out of his pocket and lighted it.

Kymander looked up to see a girl on the corner in front of the two approach the intersection and sit down on a bench. She had blonde hair and a somewhat gothic Lolita dress, and she was exceptionally pretty.

Kymander's eyes widened as her face turned toward them. "It's not possible…"

Junichi started and turned toward the Shinigami, who was standing to his left, but as he turned, his eyes instead caught the man walking toward him with the cigarette in his mouth. Instantly, his body froze up, and his eyes dilated.

The man reached his corner and took a long drag on his cigarette as he stared down at Junichi. He was wearing something different, but the boy easily recognized him.

"How curious, meeting you here."

Kymander tore his eyes away from the blonde woman opposite them and looked in surprise at the man standing over Junichi, and smiled widely.

The man took a small step toward the paralyzed boy and blew smoke in his face. "Why don't you come with me? Because you saw my face, it's been causing me some trouble."

Junichi saw a glint out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes flicked downward to see the man drawing a knife out of his pocket.

That was enough to snap Junichi out of it. He turned on his heels and darted to the right, racing down the sidewalk as fast as he possibly could, his bag bouncing rapidly against his back. The man who was smoking was somewhat surprised, but smiled and started jogging after him.

Junichi's mind was in a haze, and the only thing he could think about was getting away as fast as he could. He didn't even notice that that street had very light traffic. As he ran, he felt a sudden sharp pain in the back of his leg, and he tumbled to the ground, his bag slipping off his arm and rolling in front of him.

Junichi tried to get back up, but his leg was completely disabled, and he looked back to see the man's knife sticking out of it. As he reached back to yank the knife out, he saw the man at a distance, smiling and walking towards him.

For the second time in two weeks, he was staring in the face of death, and this time, there was no one to save him this time. It was only him, his attacker, and the Shinigami that followed him. And the Death Note in his backpack.

He didn't even have any second thoughts. He was consumed in terror, and the thoughts of hatred for this man still lingered.

"K-Kymaner…" stammered Junichi, tears running down his face. "Give me…"

"Yes?" Kymander smiled calmly as the man came striding down the street.

"Give me your Eyes. Please… hurry!"

Kymander laughed out loud, and did not hesitate to bend down and place his hand over Junichi's face. When he removed his hand, Junichi immediately focused his eyes on the man's face.

_Samuru Tokugawa._

Junichi screamed as he yanked the knife out of his leg, and with the other hand, he tore his backpack open and yanked out the Death Note.

Kymander had thoroughly explained to him the rules of the Death Note, for he knew them well, and one rule in particular was going through his head right now: "The instrument to write with can be anything, as long as it can write directly on the note and remains as legible letters."

He slammed open the notebook and began hastily writing with the tip the knife, with his own blood. He had to write large, so the large drips of blood didn't ruin the letters. He quickly finished the name "Samuru," and he heard the man stepping up right behind him. Just as he finished the last letter of "Tokugawa," a hand reached down and seized the Death Note.

Junichi cried out and rolled over to look up at Samuru, who was holding the Death Note in his hand and staring at his own name. The murderer looked very unnerved.

"Boy… how did you know my name?" He tossed the notebook onto the sidewalk, reached down, and yanked Junichi up by his shirt. "How did you know my name?!"

Then, Kymander chuckled.

Samuru jumped and looked over directly at the Shinigami, and there were a couple seconds of complete silence. Then he screamed and dropped Junichi, and backed up a couple of steps, pointing in horror at Kymander, who looked very amused.

Samuru turned on his heels and began to run, but he hadn't gotten more than twenty steps, when he suddenly screamed out in pain and clutched his chest. The next few seconds were almost as if in slow motion.

The murderer stumbled to the right, leaning against a light pole as he hunched over in pain. Beyond him, a car turned the intersection and accelerated toward them. Samuru let out a few more painful grunts, then with a frustrated scream, he lurched forward and his right foot slipped off the curb. He let out a loud gurgle as his body tipped into the street, right in the path of the oncoming car.

The volume of the impact rang in Junichi's head, and he could only watch in horror as the car grinded to a halt—Samuru's mangled body rolling and spinning on the street in front of it. The driver let out a horrible scream and leapt out of the car, and only a few seconds later, another car grinded to a halt, and the driver hastily called the police.

By then, Junichi, had hauled himself to his feet and was stumbling away from the scene, the Death Note under his arm. He glanced at the two panicked drivers, their names and unintelligible lifespans floating over their heads. He knew he had to get out of here before the police came. He didn't think that his life could get any worse, but he knew if he was spotted at this scene, he would be on a fast route to hell.

As he stumbled the corner and looked back at the scene, the first police car rounded the corner. The police station was nearby, so he knew the response would be quick. He rounded the corner and went on his way.

Behind him, Kymander laughed loudly as tears run down Junichi's face. He knew that the boy would have to eventually use the Death Note, and it had finally happened. From now one, things would be getting _very_ exciting.

…

But, someone had already spotted him. Standing a good distance away, on the other side of the street, Misa Amane had witnessed the accident. She had arrived just in time to see Samuru collapse against the light pole in pain before stumbling in front of the car. And it was enough to capture her full attention.

As Junichi—stumbling away in a hurry—turned to look at the scene one last time, Misa had her cell phone out, the camera lens snapping a picture of the boy's face. No sooner had she done that then the first police car screamed around the corner.

Misa smirked to herself. She may have just witnessed a murder by Kira, and she knew that this was the same neighborhood where two boys had supposedly died of heart attacks. And after looking around the neighborhood, she also knew that there was only one school in this neighborhood.

She was almost there.


	7. 07 Convergence

There was a knock on the door again, but Junichi didn't answer

There was a knock on the door again, but Junichi didn't answer. He had been lying in bed since he woke up, just staring at the wall. School had already started, but he didn't move when his parents had banged on his locked door.

"Jun! Open the door, you need to go to school! Jun!"

Junichi didn't even blink his bloodshot eyes. He had witnessed another death yesterday. Samuru Tokugawa had been the Kira Disciple who put his brother to death in front of him. And just yesterday, Junichi had finally used the Death Note to put Samuru to death. Just as Samuru died of his heart attack, he fell into the path of an oncoming car.

He hadn't moved from his bed since he arrived last night, even though school was starting. He knew Kymander had to be close by as well, but he didn't bother to look up and see him.

How could he do that? He had dwelled on his hatred for his brother's murderer for so long, but when he finally got his revenge he once again had faced a terrible sight. And what's more, he had actually used the Death Note. Used the same power as Kira, which he had sworn to never use, to end another person's life, even if that person was despicable.

He was now no different than Kira. Even if that man did deserve it, it wasn't right to kill him. And even for self-defense, there had to have been better options than using the Death Note on him.

Maybe soon, the police would be coming for him. He couldn't have gotten away without being seen by at least one person. They would come for him, and they would lock him away for murder and destroy the notebook, then it would all be over. And most likely, Kymander would kill him in jail…

The tears started flowing again, and he clutched his pillow tighter. His life was already over… but how could he fix this? He knew with the Death Note in his possession nothing but misfortune could come to him, but maybe he could still do some good before everything came crashing down on him… but what?

…

"Near," said Gevanni, reading the newspaper over Near's shoulder. "This has to be it. You think so?"

"The victim was hit by a car after stumbling into the street," recited Near. "This was the man that killed both Lester and Takahiro. However, after being examined, it has been determined that the actual cause of death was a heart attack. The driver of the car said there may have been a boy present on the scene, and remembers only a few of his features…"

"Death of a criminal by a heart attack," said Lidner, "and even though he was a smoker, he was still fairly healthy. I think we've finally got our break."

"Lidner," said Near sharply, holding out a map with marks on it as he curled his hair with one finger. "If it was a student, it's possible he attended this school in the area. I'd like both you and Gevanni to go to the school and interview some students."

"What about you, Near?" Gevanni asked.

"I will be fine by myself for a day. This is a very important step in the case. Please take as much time as you need to."

"If we actually find the boy who was present, should we arrest him?" asked Lidner.

"Unfortunately, we have no solid proof that the boy is Kira, and though it would help to ascertain if he is or not by apprehending him, it would be best to get a warrant first. I will pull some strings with the director of the NPA if you manage to find him, and I will be able to get a warrant within the night.

"You must remember this, however. Getting a hold of the notebook in Mikami's case and in the newest Kira's case are two completely different matters. It is likely a Shinigami is possessing him. If you act too quickly, it's possible you could be killed by the Shinigami. Please take care."

…

Misa smiled up at the school and chuckled to herself. Probably only a single trip through the school, and she would have her Kira. She had a picture of the boy on her cell phone, so if she showed enough people, someone would have to recognize him…

She stepped into the school and wandered down the halls, flipping open her phone and gazing at the photo again. He only looked to be about 14 years old, so she probably only needed to check the later middle school classes.

Right now, everyone was in the middle of classes, so she couldn't just barge in and start interrogating students. Either she had to somehow trick one of the teachers into leaving, or find a class that didn't have a teacher at the moment.

Misa leaned against the wall in the hallway and started listening in on the classes. In each one, she heard a lesson going on, and she couldn't find any classes without a teacher. So, would she have to get one of them to leave somehow?

She started trying to think of a story. There was always the classic "The principal is calling for you," but then they would wonder who she is to relay that message. Or maybe she could say there was a fight going on outside, but then all the students would want to run and see too…

Her thoughts were cut short when a door down the hall slid open. She started and ducked around a corner, peeking out to eavesdrop.

"Class president, please watch over the study hall," said the teacher that walked out. "I'll be back for algebra at 1:00."

The teacher turned the other way and disappeared down the hall. Misa grinned to herself. She just got her opportunity! She sneaked out from behind the corner and quickly slid into the classroom.

"W-Who are you?" asked the startled class president, rising from her seat.

"Calm your pretty little head down," said Misa brightly. "I've got a favor to ask all of you!"

"Excuse me, but we're about to start study period. The teacher said—"

Misa loomed over the much younger girl and wore a dark smile. "I promise, it'll only take a minute."

The class president didn't say anymore.

Misa quickly got out her cell phone and flipped open the picture. "I'm looking for this kid. He… forgot his bookbag on the street and I'm trying to get it back to him."

The class at first kind of looked at each other in confusion, but Misa brandished it at the nearest student, who shook their head slowly. In this manner, she went around the room, each student shaking their head. The classroom was very silent.

"Yeah, I know him!" said one student finally. Misa gasped and bent over him.

"You do?! Who is he?"

The boy started nervously, "He was a friend of a friend in another class. A friend of mine who died. He's Junichi Komori."

"Great, do you know which class he's in?!"

"The class across the hall, but… I heard he didn't come to school today."

"Ohh," sight Misa. "Well, do you know where he lives?"

The boy shook his head, and Misa sighed. He thanked the boy and put away her phone, then went back out into the hall. It sounded like class was still in progress across the hall, so maybe she could try and think up one of her stories.

Again, her thoughts were cut short by footsteps approaching around a corner. Misa again dove behind another corner and peeked out. Was the teacher already back? It wasn't even close to 1:00 yet.

Instead, the woman who walked around the corner didn't look like a teacher at all. She was actually American; a tall woman with perfectly straight blonde hair and a severe look on her face. Almost instantly, Misa recognized her.

"It's her!" Misa whispered to herself. "That one of Takada'a bodyguards!"

She remembered it well. During the Music Festival a long while back, she was one of Kiyomi Takada's bodyguards. Takada had brushed her off and Misa went after her, and this woman seized her immediately. Her name was Halle… something-or-other…

But what was she doing here?

The woman knocked on a door; the very door that Misa was told was Junichi's class. When the door slid open, the woman bowed.

"Excuse me for interrupting class, but I have some questions for you."

Questions? What was this all about? Misa frowned and whipped out her cell phone, taking a quick picture of the bodyguard woman before she entered the room.

Were the police already suspecting Junichi? Either way, Misa had to get to Kira before the police did. She had to enact her own vengeance.

…

Ah, the wonderful Internet… Misa reclined in her chair and smiled. She knew the name Komori had sounded familiar, and she quickly remembered the famous Komori man who was an anti-Kira speaker, and who had been killed during a riot.

With that information, it was incredibly easy to find the address.

Misa quickly wrote down the address and hoisted herself up from the chair. There was no time to wait. This Halle lady would be after her Kira soon enough, and she had to get there first.


	8. 08 Catalyst

Junichi hadn't heard anyone knock on the door for quite a while

Junichi hadn't heard anyone knock on the door for quite a while. He rolled over and looked at the clock, seeing that it was already almost 8:00. His parents must have gone out to eat, leaving him behind since he wasn't responding to them.

He was clinging tightly to his Death Note. He had been absentmindedly tearing the pages, and his bed was practically littered with little pieces of the Death Note. At one point he had felt the urge to tear out all the pages, but he knew as soon as he opened the notebook back up, it would be full again. Kymander had explained to him all the rules of the Note, including that you never run out of pages.

He grabbed a handful of paper and tossed it onto the floor, and then rolled back over, facing the window. The sun had gone down already, as it was beginning to fade to winter.

Junichi was startled by a sudden knock resonating from below. He rolled back over again and faced his own door, but didn't move. Then he heard it again; someone was knocking on his door. Was it one of his friends, at this time?

He sighed and rose from his bed, trudging out of his room and down the stairs. His parents were one thing, but he might feel better in the company of one of his friends. As he approached the front door, he was spacing out so much that he didn't even notice he was still holding onto the Death Note.

He opened the door a little, and was very surprised by what he saw. A blonde woman stood before him, one he had never seen before.

"Umm, can I help you?" He was still absentmindedly holding a few scraps of paper in his opposite hand, so he put them in his pocket.

The woman smiled. "Are you supposed to open the door for strangers?"

The statement didn't really register, but Junichi did recognize the woman before him. She was an extremely popular pop idol for years; he himself didn't listen to her music, but she was quite popular with his brother!

"You're not… Misa Amane?"

Misa narrowed her eyes, even while still smiling. "Junichi Komori. Are you… Kira?"

Junichi's face instantly went pale. He backed up a few steps and stammered, but nothing understandable came out. That was all Misa needed, she decided. She shoved open the door all the way, and stepped into the house, and Junichi yelped and fell backward to the floor, the Death Note sliding out of his hand.

"I-I'm not… I don't know… what you're talking about!"

"Don't lie to me!" Misa yelled down at him. "I saw you yesterday. I saw you kill that man."

Junichi blanched even more, and he tried to scoot away, but Misa reached down and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"Kira. I didn't expect you to be a little boy."

"I-I-I'm not Kira! No way!" stammered Junichi, his eyes darting around.

"How do you do it?!" yelled Misa in his face. "You will tell Misa everything, how you do it, and why you had to kill Light!"

Junichi whimpered, and before he could stop himself, his eyes darted to the Death Note on the floor. Misa followed his glance to the black notebook on the floor.

"Death Note?" scoffed Misa. "Isn't that kind of cliché? Are you trying to mess with me?"

She reached down and picked up the Death Note and shook it at him. "I'll just take a closer—"

She suddenly dropped Junichi, her eyes going wide. For a second, there was just silence as Junichi looked up at her in confusion. Misa stared straight ahead at the wall, and her hand on the Death Note clenched so hard that her knuckles turned white. And then Misa screamed.

Misa hunched over and grabbed at her head as it felt like a sledgehammer drove through her skull and directly into her brain. Everything around her seemed to fade away as images and emotions flooded her entire reality. Over five years of memories assaulted every corner of her consciousness and took deep root in hermind.

Steadily, the whirlwind of images slowed and everything around her came back into focus. Junichi was on the ground looking scared, and Misa was still bending over him, holding the Death Note.

The Death Note… The notebook that kills anyone whose name you write in it. Misa had one… and Light Yagami had one as well. Light Yagami was Kira! She remembered everything now! How it all began; Rem gave her the Death Note after her she was almost murdered by a psychopath, and how she met Light and started dating him. Then the ensuing battle with L, ending in Light's victory. After that, he became the new L and continued to act as Kira, with Misa using the Shinigami Eyes to help him. Then the two L successors, Mello and Near, stepped in and things became complicated again.

But then, she had to give up the Death Note, and later she was told that Kira had killed Light. Of course, having given up her memories, she believed it since Light was under the guise of L—who hunted Kira. Now, of course, it was obvious it wasn't true. So, who killed Light?

"Near," Misa whispered, to the confusion of the boy under her. "It had to be him…"

Finally, Misa refocused on the boy laying under her and smiled.

"Sorry, I had the wrong person," she smirked. Then she lifted up her shirt and slipped the Death Note into it quickly, knowing all her memories of it would disappear as soon as she lost contact with it, since she wasn't the owner.

"But, someone is looking for you, little boy. You should probably come with me, if you want to be safe."

Misa hoisted Junichi to his feet, but the boy resisted.

"No, I can't come!" he yelled. He tried to pull away, but Misa squeezed down on his wrist and put a hand on her stomach, where the Death Note was hidden.

"I'm not giving you a choice," said Misa firmly. She could tell just by looking at his eyes, he had traded for the Shinigami eyes. She would need him in the future.

Junichi blanched as she patted the Note, knowing how easily his life would end. She already knew his name. So he had no choice but to comply as she yanked him toward the door. Before they crossed the threshold though, a large figure blocked the way, smiling down at them.

Misa gasped and rocked backward. "Shinigami?"

Kymander grinned. "Misa Amane. The second Kira."

"Oh, you've heard about me? I'm honored," she said brightly.

Then Kymander leaned over next to her face. "You do know that he still owns it, right? I won't be able to give you the eyes."

Misa just smiled at the Shinigami in reply, and she led Junichi quickly out of the house, Kymander following closely behind.

…

Night had fallen, and Lidner knocked firmly on the door, and it was answered by Junichi's mother.

"Excuse me, Ms. Komori," said Lidner. "I'm looking for Junichi Komori."

"I-I'm sorry," said the mother with a small bow. Lidner noted that she was a little pale. "Junichi hasn't come home yet tonight…"

Lidner paused, her eyes narrowing a little. "Do you know where he is?"

"No, I'm afraid. He was supposed to be home three hours ago, and we've called around to try and find him, but no one knows where he is."

"Well, thank you, miss," said Lidner, frowning, and turned to walk away.

Their prime suspect for Kira was a very punctual student at the local high school. It was more than suspicious for him to go missing on the very night Lidner came to interrogate him.

She flipped open her cell phone and dialed a number. "Near… We have a problem."

…

Junichi sat on a bed once again, but it wasn't his own. This one belonged to Misa Amane, in the single bedroom in her apartment. Once again, things had gone bad for him, as he was being held captive. And not by just anyone… This was the second Kira, who once held Sakura TV hostage, long ago.

She had him, and she had the Death Note. The only thing she didn't have was the Shinigami eyes. It was the only advantage he had; it wasn't much, considering he could be killed at any time, with no effort, if he escaped.

Behind him, he heard Kymander laugh. Junichi turned him a cold eye, knowing the Shinigami was just getting a laugh out of all the horrible things that were happening to him.

"Kymander…" Junichi murmured.

"What's wrong?" smirked the Shinigami. "You pissed at me?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Kymander laughed again. "What's that?"

"You said those who use the Death Note don't go to Heaven or to Hell. Where do they really go then?"

Kymander stared at him silently.

"I think… I know where…" whispered Junichi.


	9. 09 Revolution

Worst case scenario

Worst case scenario.

It was the only way to describe what had happened now. Things haven't been this bad since… well, since Light Yagami had reigned as Kira.

Fifty criminals in the last week—at least—had suffered heart attacks and died. Kira had reappeared in full, eliminating criminals once again. The Kira Disciples had almost immediately moved to take back over the airwaves, which wasn't hard. Many supporters of Kira still existed everywhere in the media, especially Sakura TV, where the second Kira first made her announcement.

Near was still operating in secret, with the current head of the orphanage Wammy's House, Roger Ruvie, acting as a medium between him and the police. Lidner did most of the field work, out negotiating with the media and police, while Gevanni stayed with Near to do most deep data searches. And still, nothing turned up. The only lead they had was a small piece of lace stuck to the doorframe at Junichi Komori's house.

They had determined so far, from the state of things in Junichi's room and the rest of the house, that he disappeared quite suddenly and without planning. Either he saw Lidner coming at the last minute, or was taken forcibly from his home.

He supposed that the latter was true, as it didn't take much research to find that the Komori family was powerfully anti-Kira, and there was no reason to suspect his son was any different.

This means that someone found out who the current owner of the Death Note was and got to him beforehand, or was discovered by accident by a Kira supporter. Either one was possible, as he was likely being targeted by the Kira Disciples after the older brother's death. Searches of the leading Disciples turned up nothing on Junichi's whereabouts, though.

If this was anything like the previous engagement with Kira, it would be a long time before he could turn up anything useful, anything worthwhile that could lead him to Kira. Or maybe even not that.

Near was no L.

There was no replacement for L. Although Near was the official replacement for L, in truth neither he, nor likely any of the children in Wammy's House could really live up to the image of L.

Quillsh Wammy was the founder of the orphanage, Wammy's House, in Winchester. He was a famous inventor and interested in young geniuses. The first of those was a young boy named L Lawliet. L Lawliet was a truly gifted boy, who eventually became one of the world's greatest detectives, alongside Eraldo Coil and Daneuve. Even these two he eventually defeated and took on their personas to become the world's greatest. He was only ever known by his initial, L. No one knew his true name. Perhaps not even himself.

Wammy, later known as Watari, the only man able to contact L, then tried to raise children that could eventually become L's successors. But, as Near had come to realize, nobody but L could be L.

The first planned successor, a girl named Arlan Joen—though she was known only by her obvious codename Alpha—was given the initial A. This girl known as A was a failure, who killed herself under the pressure of her fate. The second was an eccentric boy known as Beyond Birthday, known as Backup, or simply as B. B went insane. After killing three people and nearly committing suicide—all to challenge L face-to-face—he died in prison, a victim of Kira. Kira probably didn't even know he was killing a former successor to his own archnemesis.

This was always how it was. Many of the kids in Wammy's house were very cruel, competing to see who was better. That's how it was between the two children who eventually became the number two and three successors, Nate River and Mihael Keehl. Codenames Near and Mello. N and M.

Eventually, L did die, along with Watari, leaving Wammy's house in the control of Roger, and the succession to the "L throne" to Near, to N. But even so, to defeat Kira—the amazing criminal who was eventually able to defeat even the great L himself—it took the combined efforts of both Near and Mello to take him down. And in the process, Mello died. Even the number four in line, working under Mello, died. His name was Mail Jeevas, codename Matt. He was not close enough to succession to be given an initial, but it was likely to have been J, since M was already taken by Mello.

And just as L was replaced, so would Near eventually. In fact, in the time following L's death and Near's ascension to the "throne," Roger had infact found a "successor to N." A boy only known as Ostram, and the initial O. Near of course, had not personally met him, just as he had never met L.

All of this brought to Near's mind the possibility that Near would never be able to defeat a criminal of the caliber that L could go up against, let alone one that defeated him. He was only able to defeat Kira thanks to both Mello and Matt. He lacked the initiative that L had, the fire to set things in motion and get things done, a lack of initiative made up for by the astoundingly active—though very competitive and vengeful—Mello.

But, as Near sat in his uncomfortable chair in a small room in Tokyo, he had to remind himself that the Kira they were facing now was nothing compared to Light Yagami. Near never said so, but he truly though Light Yagami would be the only person who could succeed L. And despite the god complex he developed from owning a Death Note, he had been relatively normal. Perhaps that said something about the house of oddities known as Wammy's House.

...

Misa woke up in the morning feeling very good about herself. It had already been a week and a half since she had kidnapped Junichi Komori, the owner of the Death Note that was still tucked against her body under her pajamas.

Since Light Yagami had died at the hands of a Death Note, Misa had set out in a vengeful mission for Kira, his supposed murderer, only to find and hold a Death Note to regain all of her memories as the second Kira. Kira wasn't the murderer, it was Near.

Near had been the one to chase down Light and corner him in the warehouse, only to hear the dreadful news that he had died there. The only way she could be at peace was to put an end to her only true love's killer… and to honor his memory.

This was why the Death Note was rapidly filling up with names again. Just like Light had done, Misa was continuing the righteous reign of Kira. As soon as Light had died, the killing ceased and the crime rate in the world sprung back so quickly you would think humanity was anxious to start killing itself. It was like humanity itself was like a thoughtless child that needed to be watched.

So Misa was now going to be the "God of the New World" that Light had striven to be, the God that Misa had worshipped, that people everywhere had worshipped and died for. It was all Misa could do now that Light was gone.

And Misa had been very careful when taking away Komori, she didn't leave any fingerprints and really didn't even enter the house very much because Komori had just come downstairs on his own. And with the Death Note in her hand, she didn't have to use unnecessary force to get him to leave.

Of course, it could all go to hell if she ever accidently dropped the Death Note anywhere. This was one of the rules, that if you do not own the Death Note, your memories of it are only returned to you as long as you are touching it.

She got up and looked out the window to survey the city of Tokyo spread out before her. It was a city that would once again be covered by the rule of Kira. The writhing masses would look up the human god. Mankind would be completely safe. The group known as the Kira Disciples was already back onto the airwaves, proclaiming the reawakening of Kira after his long hibernation.

They had no idea that Kira had died. For that matter, they had no idea L had died either. In the public mind, Kira was always Kira, the God. And L was a simple detective who long ago tried to defeat Kira, but quickly faded into obscurity in the minds of all but the most dedicated police, who occasionally resurfaced in a news article on the back page of the paper.

No, all was as it should be. As long as someone was killing criminals, Kira was still alive. The problem was the other side of the story. As long as someone was trying to catch Kira, then L was still alive. It wasn't a problem for the five years where Kira and L were both Light Yagami, but Near wrestled the latter title away, and was now working hard to track down the current owner of the Death Note. To tell the truth, Misa didn't know how it got into the hands of Junichi Komori, but it was probably better she didn't know.

She was taking good care of him and feeding him, and to tell the truth she couldn't decide what to do with him yet, and she made sure to lock him in every day that she left. She fixed the door of her apartment so that, when locked, it could be opened from neither the inside or outside. She had been trying to convince him to give up ownership of the Death Note, but it was to no avail.

She made breakfast for both herself and Junichi, who had just woken up from the couch and quietly retrieved his plate. He had become complacent after so long at her place, seeming to have de-stressed himself from the surprising comfort he was receiving from his kidnapper.

Once they had finished breakfast she headed into the bathroom for her shower, locking that door behind her as well. After carefully undressing in such a way as to keep a hold of the Death Note, she reached in and turned on the water. Just before stepping into the shower, she reached behind her and set the notebook down on the sink.

As she slid the curtain closed, she was blissfully unaware of all the events that had happened over the past week, thinking she was still on a quest for Kira, and only distantly aware that she had a new "roommate" named Junichi Komori.

For those few moments, she was blissfully unaware that she had once again become a mass murderer. That is, until she stepped out of the shower to see a black notebook on the sink with a pink sticky note attached that read "Touch Me."

That morning, she was in a really good mood. She had just gotten a deal at the local recording studio to be a guest artist with a popular singer. She had been out of the public image for a long time, but when news spread of Light's death, public sympathy gained her more attention.

She put on her best outfit before she went out today, skipping out the door humming to herself. She was in such a good mood she completely forgot to lock the apartment door behind her.

This fact did not go unnoticed by Junichi Komori.

...

Only two more chapters left in this exciting fanfic! You can expect them to be a little extra long. Prepare for shocking revelations, and some of you who were expecting something else may be either disappointed or amazed. XD


	10. 10 Action

Two quick beeps alerted Near to his computer, where he turned to see a calligraphic W filling up the screen

Two quick beeps alerted Near to his computer, where he turned to see a calligraphic W filling up the screen.

"Watari, what is it?" Near asked.

"It seems we no longer have to search for Kira," came the computerized voice of Roger from Wammy's House. "A boy has just turned himself in to the police, a boy named Junichi Komori."

Gevanni, on the other side of the room, gasped, and Near's eyes widened. Was this more than they could have hoped for? They had been hunting Junichi for a long time since he had disappeared, and yet how could he suddenly just turn up at the NPA? Today was February 14, Valentine's Day. An odd day for the case to come to a close.

Near let out a long breath and curled his hair. "Which senior officers are currently present at the NPA?"

A short moment later, and list of profiles appeared on the screen. "Suzuki, Matsuda, Aizawa, Watanabe, Sato, and Yamamoto."

"Matsuda and Aizawa…" Those two policemen were among the group at the Yellow Box where Light Yagami finally had his life ended by his Shinigami. Their memories of the Death Note were erased, but they still knew Light was Kira, and about Near.

"Please connect me," commanded Near.

...

Junichi sat tensely in a chair in a back room of the NPA building, surrounded by six serious-looking senior police officers. His hands were cuffed behind the back of the chair, and his ankles to its legs as well, so he wasn't about to move.

His heart was racing fast, afraid that at any moment, his heart would convulse into a heart attack. Earlier, he watched as Misa made the dumb mistake of leaving the apartment door unlocked. He had been waiting silently for such an opportunity in her apartment, eating her food and sleeping in her extra bed.

Kymander had remained silent too, quite pleased with the way things were going. If Misa weren't to kill him, he was afraid that the Shinigami would instead. However, Kymander just hovered behind him with a blank look on his face, as if expecting something.

A sudden beeping jerked him out of his daze, and he looked up to see that the laptop on a corner table has suddenly become emblazoned with a stylized L.

"L!" cried one of the officers, a messy-haired man named Yamamoto. The rest of the officers looked very surprised, except perhaps two of the more experienced ones.

"This is L." The computerized voice was somewhat intimidating, but as far as Junichi knew, L had never solved the Kira case, since all of the investigations had been done in secret. "Your name is Junichi Komori, correct?"

"Y-yes," said Junichi aloud. "I'm Junichi."

"We've been looking for you for quite some time, Junichi. The fact that Kira has returned is highly unsettling. I think you know how unsettling this is, especially after the first Kira has been defeated."

Junichi took in the words, but something wasn't quite right… L was saying that he was now Kira, the previous one having been defeated…

Misa had told him the story of Kira, from the very beginning, when a local high school student named Light Yagami had picked up the first Death Note. It was true that Light was eventually defeated, but…

"You're not L!" said Junichi as he came to the realization. "Kira killed L six years ago!"

There were gasps from all the officers, and one of the men, Matsuda let slip a, "How did he…" Aizawa shot Matsuda a dirty look, and the latter covered his mouth with one hand. Half of the faces in the room stared at Junichi and shock, and the other half stared at the computer monitor from which L spoke. Then there was a long silence.

"I see," came the firm computerized voice. "Allow me to reintroduce myself then."

"L…!" said Aizawa, but was cut off.

"I am N." The screen flickered, and the stylized L was suddenly replaced with a similar N.

"N?!" came the startled response around the room.

Yes, this sounded more accurate. Junichi was told of a boy named Near who succeeded the true L after he was killed by Kira. This Near—accompanied by another boy named Mello—worked hard to track down Kira, who had since then been impersonating the fallen L. This boy, Near, was the one whom Misa sought vengeance on.

"I will address your various questions after this interrogation, please," commanded N calmly. "Please turn your attention to the matter at hand."

"Ne—… N," started Junichi. "I was kidnapped. The one you should be after is—"

"Misa Amane, correct?"

Junichi blinked. "Yes, how did you know?"

There was short pause. "Shuichi Aizawa, Touta Matsuda, Kanzo Mogi, Hideki Ide, Misa Amane. Aside from my own subordinates—and those who have already died—these are the only people who know that the original L was killed by Kira. The fact that you knew this presents an extremely simple process of elimination. You were kidnapped and informed by Misa Amane."

Junichi paused, and then nodded, despite the fact that Near couldn't see it. He assumed that this "N" knew all about the Death Note, having defeated the true Kira. This said, however, he didn't know how much the present officers knew.

"I don't hold it…" said Junichi carefully. "But… I do still have possession."

The officers looked at each other in confusion, but N responded, "I see." After a short pause, he said, "In that case, I will have someone bring you to me."

...

When the door opened, the first thing he saw was a small boy with curly white hair sitting to one side of the room. Then, his eyes traveled to the man with short black hair sitting next to three monitors, which showed camera views from inside the base. On one screen he even saw the back of his head, and he looked up to see a camera directly over the entrance.

"N… I mean, Near," Junichi addressed the man, but instead, the white-haired boy cleared his throat.

"I am Near," he said. Junichi cocked an eyebrow and looked back and forth between them.

"It's not a joke," said Lidner behind him, who had led him to the base. She walked around him and stood by Near.

"The situation as I see it so far…" said Near. "You gained the Death Note, yet being against Kira, didn't use it until it was stolen by Misa Amane, who kidnapped you. How was it she was able to find you? I was able to track you to your neighborhood, but Misa still got to you first."

"She said she saw me kill someone… The guy from the Kira Disciples who killed my brother. He was trying to kill me, but I wrote his name down first."

Near held out a hand, and Gevanni handed him a file. "Samuru Tokugawa. Official autopsy report is blunt force trauma, heavy concussion and internal hemorrhaging. Apparently, he was hit by a car in your neighborhood."

"That was an accident. I gave him a heart attack and he stumbled into the street…"

"At which point, she took over her role as the second Kira. Now to the very beginning, about your acquisition of the Death Note. It was originally in my possession after the incident with the last Kira, but it came into your hands. I can only resolve this by asking you: Do you have a Shinigami following you?"

Junichi's eyes widened, and he looked behind him at Kymander, who was just standing there grinning at Near silently.

"Yes…"

"Then, a Shinigami stole the Death Note from me and gave it to you. Unfortunately, we cannot see it unless we touch the Note, or a piece of it."

Junichi sighed, but then suddenly gasped and put his hand into his pocket. What he pulled out was a crumpled scrap of paper, one that he had kept stashed in the pocket of his pants since the day Misa had kidnapped me.

"This is a piece of it. Please, do everything you can to stop Misa Amane. My Shinigami has told me all the rules about the Death Note, even the ones that Kira himself didn't know. I'll tell them all to you if it will help you beat her."

Near stared for a moment with wide eyes, then managed a small grin as he reached out and took the paper from Junichi. Immediately, the looming skull-faced Shinigami appeared behind Junichi.

"Very well. Gevanni, you have the whereabouts of Misa Amane?"

Gevanni nodded and hit a few keys. "She's scheduled to record on the new Yui single as a guest singer. I have the address and studio number."

Near paused for a moment as he considered Junichi. This was more than enough to arrest Misa, especially now that the piece of paper in his hand indeed confirmed Junichi as the one to have received that Death Note. But… though it was enough for him, would it be enough for the police agency, to arrest a popular idol that had never been publicly accused before?

No, this was the type of hesitation that caused him to lose Junichi Komori in the first place. It was true… he had needed Mello's bold incentive to bring down the first Kira, but now he was alone. He had to live up to L's image alone.

"Lidner, please go immediately to the studio and arrest Misa Amane. Because the Junichi is the one being possessed by the Shinigami, I do not think she had the ability to trade for the Shinigami Eyes, but to be safe, please wear a bike helmet. Whatever you do, do not allow her to use the Note, as she almost certainly has it on her person at all times."

Lidner nodded, and after getting the information from Gevanni, she stepped out of the room, gun in hand. Junichi shied away from her, but Near pulled a chair out for the boy to sit on.

And as he did sit down, it struck Gevanni how odd it was to see these two boys sitting together, nearly the same age. An outsider could probably mistake them for two schoolyard friends. And this couldn't be farther from the truth; it was a simple-minded boy who had come to much misfortune, and the current world's greatest detective, sitting opposite each other.

"Now please, tell me everything you know. Leave out absolutely no details. With your information, we can finally put Kira to rest."

...

Misa stopped singing abruptly in the middle of the song, despite the "Now Recording" light being on, and she cocked her head. The director stopped the recording and called out.

"Misa, why did you stop? We need to get this recorded!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, mister," she said brightly. "I have to go to the bathroom!" And before waiting for him to complain, she dashed out the door and stood against the wall of the studio.

She knew it. Down the hallway, she could hear it echoing: a police siren. A minute later, she heard someone running down the hallway, and she quickly slipped behind a corner. Whoever it was then stopped at the studio door and pounded on it.

"Police! Open up!"

The voice sounded very familiar… But a minute later, the door swung open, and the voice then confirmed Misa's fears.

"Police, Halle Lidner. I need to ask you a few questions."

Halle Lidner! She instantly recognized the name of the Takada's old bodyguard, and then remembered that the same woman was searching for Junichi on the very day she was. She peeked around the corner very quickly to see the woman, though wearing a bike helmet on her head.

Without waiting, Misa quickly ran down the hallway toward the exit. If Lidner was searching for Junichi on that day, she was undoubtedly the target now. But, she knew that "Halle Lidner" was just an alias; after she gained the Death Note, she had found and written down that name since she had been seeking Kira. And thanks to that helmet, and without the eyes of the shinigami, she could never get her real name.

She burst outside and quickly unlocked her car and slid into it. As soon as she pulled out of the parking lot, she saw in her mirror that the same woman who had just entered the studio was exiting the building. The woman spun around and saw Misa's car, and shouted something, but she didn't stick around any longer.

She quickly peeled out of the parking lot and wove between traffic, running two red lights to put distance between herself and Lidner. She checked her rearview mirror, and saw no pursuers, so her mind turned to her possibilities right now.

She remembered taking a picture of Halle back when she saw her in the school, but even without the Shinigami Eyes, she would never be able to get her real name. Her only option was to force Junichi to trade for the Eyes, so she could get her real name.

However, she was bothered by how they had tracked her down so quickly. She remembered that Near was no L, and it took even the world's best detective a much longer time to find Kira. She made sure to leave no traces of her actions, and kept Junichi safely in her… apartment…

She almost slammed her head against the steering wheel in frustration. She forgot to lock her apartment today! She had been so excited about the recording that it had completely slipped her mind. Most likely Junichi noticed and ran for it to notify the police. Now, not only were the police chasing her, the boy who officially owned the Death Note was out of her reach…

In the rearview mirror, Lidner's police car slid into sight in the lane behind her, sirens blaring and lights flashing.

Then, she realized the simple solution. In fact, the ONLY solution. She needed Halle Lidner's real name, and there was only one way to get it.

She took one hand off the wheel, and pulled the Death Note out of her shirt, propping it open on her steering wheel and holding it there with the thumb of her wheel hand. Then, she took a pen out of the cupholder next to her and clicked it out.

In forty seconds, after the name "Junichi Komori" was written, the Shinigami Eyes would be hers once again.

**--****The borrower of the DEATH NOTE will not be followed by a god of death. The god of death always remains with the owner of the DEATH NOTE. Also the borrower can not trade the eyesight of the god of death.--**

**--****If the DEATH NOTE is stolen and the owner is killed by the thief, its ownership will automatically be transferred to the thief.--**

...

One final part left! Stay tuned for the exciting, shocking, etc. final chapter!


	11. 11 Coagulation

"Kymander…" Junichi murmured, sitting uncomfortably on Misa's bed

Here is the final chapter of Death Note: Final Passage. I hope you enjoy, I made it extra long! We begin with a flashback and "exciting revelation."

...

"Kymander…" Junichi murmured, sitting uncomfortably on Misa's bed.

"What's wrong?" smirked the Shinigami. "You pissed at me?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Kymander laughed again. "What's that?"

"You said those who use the Death Note don't go to Heaven or to Hell. Where do they really go then?"

Kymander stared at him silently.

"I think… I know where…" whispered Junichi.

"Oh?"

"At first I thought they would just go to some sort of limbo… But then I figured… The Shinigami have to come from somewhere, right? So people who use the Death Note… they go to the Shinigami world, don't they?!"

Kymander continued to stare at him, and then chuckled.

"That would be convenient, wouldn't it? You thought I was Light Yagami?"

"Huh?"

"Sure, Shinigami have to come from somewhere, but not from there. If you really want to know what happens to you, I'll tell you. The fact that those who use the Death Note don't go to Heaven or Hell is absolutely true… only because there _is_ no Heaven or Hell."

"What?!" said Junichi in shock.

"Heaven and Hell are fantasies created by human minds. Good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell, right? It's an easy way to outline two paths for people to walk. If you are good, you will be rewarded, and if you are bad, you will be punished.

"There is nothing waiting for men after they die. There is no afterlife, there is no paradise or eternal torment. Only nothingness into which your soul vanishes into all eternity. Only silence. People think their actions on earth decide a certain outcome after they die, especially for those with Death Notes. But actions are just actions, after all. Perhaps it is more fitting… that all humankind is united at the end."

...

Junichi suddenly grabbed his chest and grunted in pain. Both Stephen Gevanni and Near gasped as the boy slid off his chair and writhed in pain, coughing and grunting as he held his chest.

Gevanni shouted and dove to the ground by his side, but Near stayed put, knowing what had happened, and that there was nothing either of them could do.

"Misa…" Junichi croaked, his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets as he stared at Near. "Please… st—"

He let out a long grunt, and then fell still.

"No!" shouted Gevanni, beginning to give CPR.

"It's useless, Gevanni," said Near. "This was a death delivered by the Death Note. There's no way you can bring him back."

Near stared for a minute at the lifeless body of Junichi, then slowly raised his eyes to the Shinigami standing over him. Kymander stared down at the boy for a second, then looked up at Near, before bursting into laughter. He was the only one who had touched the piece of the Note, so Gevanni neither heard nor saw it, but Near narrowed his eyes.

"Well, looks like it's really going to be interesting… eh, Nate River?" croaked Kymander. "I have a feeling I'll be seeing you again real soon. I'm off to my new owner."

Kymander then floated backward, laughing, before vanishing through the wall.

"Gevanni…" said Near after a pause. "We have a bigger problem."

...

Misa screamed around a corner and jumped the curb into the parking lot of her apartment. She had managed to stall Lidner by running a light that had just turn red. She made it through, but before Lidner could follow, cross traffic had cut her off.

She jumped out of her car, leaving the door open, and made a run for the door, the Death Note in one hand. But suddenly, Kymander plopped down in front of her, and Misa gasped and grinded to a halt.

"So you did it huh? Killed an innocent young boy. I'm surprised, for such a cute girl, I didn't think you could be so cold."

Misa smiled. "Then I guess you don't know me well enough. I've killed plenty of innocent people before in the name of Kira, even just to get his attention."

Kymander laughed. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. This is going to be quite fun."

"I'll get right to the point. Trade me for the Eyes!"

Kymander grinned, and without a word of complaint, reached forward to put his hand over Misa's face. When he removed his hand, Misa's eyes held the familiar red glow of the Shinigami Eyes.

With that, Misa turned and ran into the apartment. As she jumped the threshold she quickly tore out a page of the Death Note and shoved it into her shirt, just in case she were to drop the notebook. Shortly after, she heard the screech of tires in the distance.

She leaped three steps at a time to reach the landing of her apartment, and turned the handle quickly, confirming that she had left it unlocked as she burst into her apartment. Now where did she leave her cell phone?!

She ran into the living room and swept everything off the coffee table, but the cell phone wasn't there. Then, looking up, she saw it laying on the counter, in plain sight. This was her only chance! She leapt for the phone and quickly flipped it open, searching for the photo she took that day at the school…

...

Halle Lidner kicked open the door to the apartment, and looking straight ahead, she saw Misa Amane right in front of her, pencil set to a black notebook before her on the kitchen counter. She leveled the gun in a split second and fired, hitting Misa square in the left shoulder, and she screamed and fell to the ground.

She then raced over and pointed the gun right into Misa's face, whose eyes widened in horror, and she threw up her hands in surrender. Lidner wrenched her over and kneeled onto her legs as she whipped handcuffs on and snapped them on.

"You have the right to remain silent," said Lidner forcefully. Though she wasn't in America, reciting the Rights was a habit for her. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you."

She sighed and stood up, gun still pointed at the handcuffed, facedown Misa Amane. She then looked to her left, to the open Death Note on the counter, making sure that Misa hadn't yet written her name down in the Death Note.

She went pale.

_Halle Bullook – Heart attack_

_She unflinchingly obeys all commands given to her by the owner of the Death Note, Misa Amane. This includes actions she would normally object to, including taking her own life or life of a comrade. She dies only after Misa_

She dropped the gun, her pupils dilating, and her breath becoming erratic. Her true name was in the Death Note. Even though the instructions hadn't been completed, the fact that her name was there meant that she would die. It could not be changed.

A watch alarm suddenly went off, and Lidner jumped and looked down at Misa. On her wrist, her watch was beeping. The digits 6:40 were displayed on it.

Lidner's eyes glazed over, and her arms became limp as she stared at the wall.

Misa smiled. "Uncuff me."

Obediently, Lidner bent over and placed a key in each cuff, freeing Misa, who stood to her feet and straightened her clothes. She then casually flipped the Death Note closed and tucked it back into her shirt.

Misa smirked at Lidner, deciding to take a quick test. "Shoot yourself through the left hand."

Without even flinching, the woman picked up the gun with her right hand, raised both arms, and shot sideways through her left hand.

"Good," said Misa. "Now take me to Near."

...

"Lidner… Lidner, are you there?" called Near over the radio.

There was a short pause. "Yes, I'm here," came the reply. "I have Misa in custody. We've just entered the building." Behind Near, Gevanni sighed in relief. Near, however, frowned.

"Please display the two of them on the large monitor."

On the large monitor on the wall, up flashed an image caught by security cameras of Lidner and Misa starting toward the elevator. Misa was walking in front, with Lidner behind, gun drawn at her side. Something immediately struck Near as wrong about the two, watching them as they started up the elevator.

"Why is Misa Amane not cuffed?" remarked Gevanni. Near glanced over at him, then back at the monitor. That was obvious of course, but it was something else. Misa seemed so relaxed, even with a gun drawn at her back. Nothing about her body language indicated that she was worried at all about her situation.

"Zoom in on Misa."

The camera zoomed up, showing a close up of Misa's face. For a short time, her face was unreadable. But then, she glanced behind her to Lidner, and smiled ever so slightly.

"Gevanni, do you have your gun?"

"No, I gave Lidner the only gun we have."

"Please listen closely," said Near urgently. On the camera, the two were headed down the hallway toward them. Lidner had taken point. "Quickly, refer to rule 39. Access the camera over the main doorway."

Gevanni raised his eyebrows.

"_Do it!_" cried Near, and Gevanni jumped and opened a document on his main screen, accessing a camera on another. After a short moment, he opened his mouth to ask Near a question.

Before he could, the door was kicked open, and a gun was leveled straight at Near, sitting in his chair in the center of the room. Lidner was holding the gun, Misa behind her opening up the Death Note. Gevanni halfway leapt to his feet.

"Don't move!" cried Misa. "Or she will shoot!"

Gevanni paused and looked at Near, who nodded at him. Slowly, he returned to his chair and turned away from them. Out of sight, he reached into his right pocket and slid something out.

Misa smiled. "Nate River… and Stephen Loud. This is where it all ends. No guns, and no chance of reaching me before your names are in the notebook!"

She quickly clicked her pen and began writing. Even as she finished "Nate," Near only glared, and Stephen remained turned away from them. Finishing Near's last name, she then moved on to quickly scrawl "Stephen Loud," before snapping shut the notebook.

"Kira is avenged!" Misa shouted triumphantly. "You can lower your gun now, Lidner." The woman obeyed, and as soon as the gun was down, Gevanni leapt from his chair all of a sudden and ran across the room, tackling Lidner and taking the gun from her. The gun in his possession, he backed away, holding Misa at gunpoint.

"It's no use!" Misa giggled. "In twenty more seconds, you'll both be dead! Then no one can stop Kira!"

She smiled evilly as she stared down at her watch and watched the time pass. Near still stared the same way, but Gevanni began sweating profusely, the gun shaking slightly.

And time continued to pass. Misa's smile faded quickly, staring up in complete confusion. Obviously, Near and Gevanni hadn't died. Near was still staring, curling his white hair with a finger, and Gevanni held them both at gunpoint.

"I… I don't understand…" she said in a shaky voice, and she quickly raised and reopened her notebook.

A gunshot rang out, and Misa screamed as the notebook was blown from her hands, a clean bullet hole through the middle of it. Then she trembled and backed up against the wall.

"Rule number 39," said Near calmly. "If the same name is written on more than two Death Notes is completed within a 0.06 second difference, it is regarded as simultaneous; the Death Notes will not take effect and the individual written will not die."

"What?!" cried Misa. "That's not a real rule!"

"Of course it is. Junichi had extensive knowledge of the Death Note rules, courtesy of his Shinigami. That is your undoing."

Misa whimpered and looked behind Near to the desk where Gevanni had sat. On the desk were a small piece of paper and a pen, which Gevanni had hidden from Misa's view. She also noted one of the monitors; it gave a view from the top of the doorframe behind Misa, which would have given him perfect view of Misa's notebook.

"0.06 seconds? There's no way he can match me that close…"

"Then you underestimate Gevanni's skills. I have complete trust in him. Only he—who was able to completely forge an entire Death Note in one night—could match the name writing on our piece of the Note simultaneously."

"No… no…" whimpered Misa, falling to her knees.

Kymander, hovering in the doorway still, looked down at her with a crestfallen look. "How disappointing… The Death Note should have gone to someone much smarter."

With that, the Shinigami slid his own Note out of a satchel in his side and flipped it open.

"What are you doing, Shinigami?!" cried Near in alarm.

Kymander only laughed as he wrote. "You don't really think I cared for any of these humans, do you? My fun is over. And I'll be honest, the only reason I took interest in Misa Amane—in fact, the only reason she caught my eye in the first place—is the enormous lifespan hanging over her head."

Near gasped. Of course… Although Misa has had her lifespan cut in half twice, two Shinigami died for her. Gelus died to save her from a crazed stalker, and Rem died to save her from imminent execution by L and Watari. When a Shinigami saves someone's life, their own lifespans are added to the human's. Thus… Misa's current natural lifespan had to be incredible, even with an original quartered lifespan.

"Yes," cackled Kymander, snapping shut the notebook. "And now that lifespan is mine. And something else you've probably learned from Junichi. Ryuk didn't kill Light Yagami just because he wanted to, or just because he didn't feel like sticking around anymore. Provided his lifespan isn't already too short, the Shinigami possessing a Death Note owner must write that owner's name in the Note."

"No," croaked Misa, crawling up. "You can't… You're kidding, right?" She started to walk toward Kymander, but she suddenly screamed and pitched forward onto her face. Gevanni cried out in shock, but by the time he rushed over, Misa's face was already pale, her eyes rolling up into her head.

"No…" she croaked. "L-Light…" Then she shuddered and died.

Almost immediately afterward, Lidner suddenly croaked and grabbed her chest, still on the ground. Gevanni cried out again, and Near was finally taken completely aback.

"Lidner!" Near shouted, rushing over to her with Gevanni. The latter was grinding his teeth, tears coming down his face. Lidner hardly made another noise before falling still.

Above them, Kymander laughed. "Well, I got a lot of fun out of it, just like Ryuk said. So, I'll see you losers later. You can do whatever you want with that Death Note."

As Gevanni sobbed over Lidner's lifeless body, Near leaned over and plucked the Death Note off the ground opening it to the last page that had been filled out. Gevanni looked up, reading the notebook with him.

"She unflinchingly obeys all commands… She dies only after Misa…" said Near darkly. "Since she didn't complete it—she probably was going to write 'after Misa commands her to die'—the notebook took it to mean she dies after Misa dies."

"Why did it have to end this way?" croaked Gevanni.

"Because these are the risks you must take to achieve justice," said Near straightly, without hestitation.

...

Thank you very much for reading my fanfic. There is still going to be a short epilogue I'm going to write in a little bit, probably tomorrow. - This was a really fun project for me, thank you all for reading and favoriting my story.


	12. Epilogue

"Near," came a voice from the receiver in Near's hand

"Near," came a voice from the receiver in Near's hand. "Your flight back to New York City has been prepared. It leaves at 7:00 pm."

Near clicked a button and held it to his mouth. "Thank you, Watari. We will be there shortly."

It was February 20, six days after Misa and Lidner died in Near's headquarters. All of the equipment in the room had been packed up, leaving it bare, apart from Gevanni and Near, the latter of which was standing by the door holding his toy robot in one hand and a large walkie-talkie-looking receiver in the other.

Gevanni sighed and walked out the door, Near following closely behind, looking like nothing more than Gevanni's child, wearing pajamas and carrying toys.

Criminals were still dying, but none of these criminals had been reported in the media after February 14, so Near supposed these were all criminals scheduled in advance by Misa Amane. Soon, the murders would slow, and cease by 23 days after the last name was written—March 9th would be the official end of Kira. Needless to say, things would be as chaotic—if not _more_ chaotic—as when the real Kira, Light Yagami, died.

Near—now officially known as N instead of L—would return to America to resume operations. There would be more cases to solve… such was the work of the world's greatest detective.

As they drove toward the airport, Near looked out the window. "Gevanni, please stop for a moment."

Gevanni looked in the rearview mirror. "Why? We're in the middle of the suburbs."

Near looked up squarely into his eyes. "Unfinished business."

Gevanni nodded slowly and pulled over to the side of the road, next to an alleyway. Near opened the door and climbed out, setting his sights on an old garbage can. From his pajama shirt, he slid out the Death Note.

Kymander left right after the death of Misa and Lidner, saying they could do whatever they wanted with the notebook.

"Do you have a lighter, Gevanni?" asked Near. Gevanni reached in his pocket and handed a book of matches to him instead, and Near walked quietly to the trash can.

"We heard all of the rules from Junichi about the Death Note. Out of those, we did not confirm the rule 'If the note is made unusable by tearing up or burning, all humans who have touched the Note will die.' Based on that, I believe it was as false as the 13-day rule."

Near tucked the notebook under one arm and struck a match, and set it to the corner of the notebook. It caught easily enough, and once the flame was big enough, he tossed the Death Note into the garbage can.

All of a sudden, the flames burst up higher, and turned a bright blue color, leaping up over Near's head. At the same time, instead of the sound of fire, the sound of distant screams echoed from within the garbage can. All the deaths recorded in that notebook were being burned away, erased from the Earth. In the car, Gevanni's jaw dropped open as he watched the spectacle.

Near stared at it firmly, and listening intently to all the screams that were reaching his ears. He would burn them into his mind, remember forever the screams of all the dying victims of the notebook. They were the blood on Kira's hands, the true volume of the atrocity that Near had finally brought to an end.

With that final thought, the bright blue flames puffed away as suddenly as they had burst forth. Near peered over the side of the garbage can at a small pile of fine ash in the corner of the can.

"Now, it's really over," said Near to himself, and turned and walked back to the car.

"Near," said Gevanni in a solemn voice. "Shouldn't we have kept it and presented it as evidence instead?"

"No. A notebook like that, no matter how it may help us in any way, does not deserve to exist in this world as long as we can help it. I've said it before, Gevanni. This notebook is the deadliest weapon in the history of mankind. For this matter, I am unwavering, no matter what benefit there may be in politics. I will not suffer this weapon to exist."

Gevanni stared at him through the rearview mirror, a smile on his face. "You're a good person, Near. Thank you for everything you've done. I'm glad it's you in the position of L."

Near smiled back in his own fashion, one corner of his mouth curling up. "It is the duty of the children of Wammy's House. The one you should be thanking… is Watari. And L. It is not that we strive to live up to his image. He strove for justice with all his heart, and so do I, and so will I continue. Until I die, until I am replaced, I will defend justice. And even afterwards, there will always be someone there who will fight evil."

...

I hope this epilogue wasn't too cheesy. D: I thought it was a good ending to my story, and thank you so much for reading. You guys are the best -


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